{"title":"The Need to Consider Requiring Trauma Training in Entry-Level Academic Training Programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling","authors":"Yoonsuh Moh, Katharine R. Sperandio","doi":"10.17744/mehc.44.1.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.44.1.03","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened awareness of racial injustice and discrimination in the United States are likely to have a negative impact on mental health. This is concerning, given the already alarming prevalence rates of trauma exposure and adverse childhood experiences in the U.S. general population prior to the current pandemic, their immediate and long-lasting effects on human development across the life span, and their documented effects on adult chronic health conditions. For clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) to respond effectively to the needs of the U.S. general population, entry-level counseling programs must provide comprehensive trauma training and education. The purpose of this article is to provide information about clinical competencies and relevant training requirements for CMHCs in trauma prevention and treatment to highlight the need to require comprehensive trauma training in entry-level academic training programs for CMHCs through relevant research and policy.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"194 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76661104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ethical Standards for a Post-COVID-19 World","authors":"A. Mifsud, Barbara Herlihy","doi":"10.17744/mehc.44.1.07","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.44.1.07","url":null,"abstract":"The cataclysmic events of 2020 created an urgent need for mental health counseling to help individuals, families, and communities deal with grief, loss, and trauma. The sheer magnitude of the challenges has highlighted the necessity for collective interventions, as the need for help far surpasses what can be met through traditional individual or family counseling. Clinical mental health counselors must be prepared to respond to the new challenges in creative, culturally responsive, and ethical ways. The authors discuss the limitations of the prevailing codes of ethics, which are grounded in principle ethics, and propose that virtue ethics and relational ethics perspectives can be incorporated into ethical reasoning to make the process more responsive to collective interventions. A case scenario is presented and analyzed to illustrate this broader and more inclusive approach to ethical decision-making in a situation that calls for a collective intervention.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"327 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77598361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Case of the Tail Wagging the Dog: The Medicare Mental Health Coverage Gap and Its Impact on Providers and Beneficiaries","authors":"Amy A. Morgan, Matthew C. Fullen, J. Wiley","doi":"10.17744/mehc.44.1.04","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.44.1.04","url":null,"abstract":"Nearly one in four Medicare beneficiaries have been diagnosed with mental health or substance use disorders, and research indicates this population responds well to mental health treatment. However, Medicare policy omits licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs) and licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) as approved providers, exacerbating an existing national provider shortage. Emerging research demonstrates that the provider omission, referred to as the Medicare mental health coverage gap (MMHCG), profoundly impacts excluded providers and the communities they serve. This paper represents a synthesis of the most current scholarship on Medicare research, policy, and advocacy. In particular, we explore three ways the MMHCG impacts providers and beneficiaries alike: limiting provider choices, thwarting continuity of care, and creating challenging decisions for beneficiaries and providers. Our aim is to help mental health counselors better understand and navigate the MMHCG and aid in advocacy efforts for legislation to include LMHCs and LMFTs as approved Medicare providers.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"59 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76497576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supporting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Counselors: Considerations for Counselor Skills Training and Practice","authors":"Susan F. Branco, Connie T. Jones","doi":"10.17744/mehc.43.4.01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.43.4.01","url":null,"abstract":"Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) counselors require training, practice, and consultation strategies to address client-initiated microaggressions and racism in counseling. Utilizing critical race theory in counselor education, the authors offer a counseling skills model, based on Sue et al.’s microintervention concept, to support BIPOC counselor training and supervision. The authors describe strategies all counselors may use to address microaggressions and racism in counseling sessions with relevant ethical considerations. Implications for mental health counselors, counselor educators, and clinical supervisors are provided.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88513403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Margaret R. Lamar, Megan Speciale, Lisa K. Forbes, Courtney Donovan
{"title":"The Mental Health of U.S. Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Margaret R. Lamar, Megan Speciale, Lisa K. Forbes, Courtney Donovan","doi":"10.17744/mehc.43.4.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.43.4.03","url":null,"abstract":"Evidence suggests parents experience unique pandemic-related stressors related to isolation, food insecurity, school closures, and unemployment. This study examined 1,048 U.S. parents’ depression, anxiety, stress, and alcohol and substance use behaviors during March and April 2020 to better understand the impact of pandemic-related conditions on parents’ mental health. Mean scores indicated severe levels of depression and stress and extremely severe anxiety. Nearly two thirds (74.7%) indicated alcohol use in the past month, with 26.5% scoring in the range for problem alcohol use. Almost half of the sample reported using at least one substance in the previous 2 weeks. Men had significantly higher alcohol consumption and substance use than women. Depression, anxiety, and stress were higher for parents who consumed alcohol or substances and had a history of depression or anxiety. The long-term impact of COVID-19 is unknown, and mental health care is likely to be in high demand moving forward.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88712013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kaitlyn M. Forristal, J. Laux, Madeline Clark, J. Reynolds, Taylor M. Nelson
{"title":"Fatmisia and Clinical Counseling Decision-Making in Master’s-Level Counselor Trainees","authors":"Kaitlyn M. Forristal, J. Laux, Madeline Clark, J. Reynolds, Taylor M. Nelson","doi":"10.17744/mehc.43.4.04","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.43.4.04","url":null,"abstract":"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have documented an increase in fat people in recent decades, which is being met with a backlash of anti-fat biases, or fatmisia. Fatmisia is prevalent in most aspects of society, especially among fat people who have internalized fatmisia. Utilizing a diagnostic questionnaire in combination with the Fat Phobia Scale–Short Form and the Weight Bias Internalization Scale, this study explored the relationship between client body size, the presence of a major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis, and if applicable, the severity of MDD symptoms assigned by counselor trainees (N = 113). Results were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and covariance. This sample (N = 113) significantly differed in diagnoses assigned to obese clients by assigning more severe MDD. Study limitations and implications are discussed.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77231553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Influence of Anxiety on Response to Negative Sentiment Override Assessment Protocols During Couples Counseling","authors":"Seth Olson, Steven R. Chesnut, Daniel A. DeCino","doi":"10.17744/mehc.43.4.05","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.43.4.05","url":null,"abstract":"Negative sentiment override (NSO), or messages and experiences interpreted in an increasingly negative manner, is one way to explain dissatisfaction in romantic relationships. In addition, psychological factors, like anxiety, have been shown to increase levels of dissatisfaction. In the current study, we examined the extent that significant anxiety, determined by responses to the Symptom Checklist–90, influenced the endorsement of items on Gottman’s NSO scale. We examined the item characteristic curves (ICCs) of the individual items on Gottman’s NSO scale and then tested for differential item functioning between those with significant anxiety and those without significant anxiety for a sample of 262 individuals seeking counseling. Our results demonstrate different ICC patterns between those with anxiety and those without. More specifically, individuals with anxiety reported elevated NSO compared to individuals without anxiety. Implications of these findings are discussed.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91232870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emeline C. Eckart, Mary A. Hermann, Cheryl Neale-McFall
{"title":"Counselors’ Experience of Work and Family Roles During the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Emeline C. Eckart, Mary A. Hermann, Cheryl Neale-McFall","doi":"10.17744/mehc.43.4.02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.43.4.02","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, the researchers used quantitative analysis to examine the relationship between counselors’ work–family conflict, work–family enrichment, work variables, and family variables during the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors that predicted counselors’ experience of conflict between work and family roles included lacking work-place flexibility, having a child under the age of 6, spending a high number of hours caring for others, and experiencing a change in location of the work setting due to COVID-19. Workplace flexibility and a low number of hours spent caring for others predicted counselors’ experience of enrichment. Participants’ mean responses to the Work–Family Conflict Scale and Work–Family Enrichment Scale indicated they experienced higher levels of enrichment than conflict during the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77021107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Anti-Racist Practice: I Am Accountable. Are You?","authors":"Katrina E. Pinkney","doi":"10.17744/MEHC.43.3.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/MEHC.43.3.10","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80245874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Chan, John J. S. Harrichand, S. Anandavalli, Shreya Vaishnav, Catherine Y. Chang, J. Hyun, Monica P. Band
{"title":"Mapping Solidarity, Liberation, and Activism: A Critical Autoethnography of Asian American Leaders in Counseling","authors":"C. Chan, John J. S. Harrichand, S. Anandavalli, Shreya Vaishnav, Catherine Y. Chang, J. Hyun, Monica P. Band","doi":"10.17744/MEHC.43.3.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17744/MEHC.43.3.06","url":null,"abstract":"Researchers have documented the disproportionate amount of racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and a wide swath of exclusionary leadership practices in professional contexts (e.g., higher education, academia, professional associations). AAPI leaders have been largely underrepresented in counseling leadership, higher education, and the broader profession. Due to stereotypes associated with the bamboo ceiling and the model minority, AAPI communities are overlooked for advancement and leadership opportunities while experiencing racial discrimination in a given context (e.g., workplace). However, AAPI leaders can draw from multiple pathways that instill liberation and leverage activism to sustain their footing in leadership spaces. Using an AsianCrit paradigm and critical collaborative autoethnography, seven Asian American counseling leaders explored their experiences with leadership to illustrate the cultural contexts that identified opportunities for solidarity, liberation, and activism. Findings culminated in four themes: (1) recognition; (2) embracing standpoint, social identities, and cultural heritage; (3) resisting through research, scholarship, and leadership; and (4) leaning on community.","PeriodicalId":90224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of mental health counseling","volume":"128 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85742441","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}